Hypersonic dead end: why the United States can not develop an electromagnetic gun

The commander of US naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, said on March 28 that the project to create an electromagnetic gun (railgun) is in limbo. However, he abstained from listing specific problems with this type of weapon. Despite the difficulties, the admiral noted that research and development (R & D) on the railgun will continue.

“We learned a lot for ourselves by working on this project. Designing systems like this that can cope with such a large amount of electromagnetic energy is time consuming. We have further work ahead: the installation of the complex, its refinement and testing, ”Richardson quoted the Business Insider at a meeting of the American non-governmental center Atlantic Council.

Back in December 2017, the admiral said that the design of the electromagnetic gun was faced with "technical problems" during testing. Richardson expressed doubt that the completion of the research and development of the railgun should be expected in the foreseeable future.

In 2017, the US Naval Naval Research Authority reduced the estimated range of the railgun to 177 km. However, as the admiral later reported, and such a radius of defeat was unattainable. In March 2018, at a congressional hearing, Richardson stated that the requirements for the combat qualities of the railgun were reduced. In particular, the maximum range of firing guns now does not exceed 160 km, and the projectile can fly at a lower speed.

According to Western media, initially the US military hoped that the electromagnetic gun would be capable of destroying targets at a distance of 200 km, and the ammunition could develop a hypersonic speed of 7.2 thousand km / h.

"To reduce the price of ammunition"

Electromagnetic gun belongs to the class of weapons on new physical principles. It received the name “railgun” due to the fact that the acceleration of a conductive projectile occurs along two metal guides (electrodes).

This type of weapon hits the target due to the kinetic energy of the ammunition flying at supersonic or hypersonic speed. The absence of an explosive reduces the cost of projectiles and increases the survivability of the impact platform (carrier), since it eliminates the possibility of ammunition detonation. The railgun shell is almost invulnerable to the air defense systems. Its interception complicates, first of all, extraordinary high speed of flight.

Railgun can be used to defeat enemy ships of various classes, coastal fortifications and other land targets. The US military has repeatedly stated that the appearance of an electromagnetic gun will change the idea of ​​the conduct of hostilities.

• Prototype electromagnetic gun at the range in Virginia
• © US Navy

However, the railgun has many drawbacks. It is still a rather cumbersome design, consuming a huge amount of energy. To date, these weapons can not be installed on a mobile ground platform.

Also, scientists can not solve the problem of low rate of fire of the railgun because of the time-consuming process of its recharge. Small and operational resource of the gun. When firing, the gun overheats and often deforms. Prototypes are able to withstand only a few hundred shots.

In a conversation with RT, the military expert of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, Dmitry Drozdenko, called the railgun "a promising weapon." According to him, the electromagnetic gun is being developed to replace expensive cruise missiles. However, the expert drew attention to a number of unresolved problems that do not allow the United States to achieve its goal.

“The desire of Americans to create an electromagnetic gun is justified, above all, the desire to reduce the price of the price tag for ammunition. However, at the moment, they were not able to correct the main critical flaws, such as the generation of the necessary amount of energy, the wear of the rails, the deformation of the trunk, ”Drozdenko said.

"Complex problems"

Since the mid-2000s, the British corporation BAE Systems has been working on the creation of an electromagnetic gun together with US scientists. The project is being implemented in the interests of the US Navy. Tests are held at the site of the Center for the development of surface weapons of the US Navy in Dahlgren (Virginia). In total, the Pentagon invested about $ 500 million in the R & D of the railgun.

It was assumed that the electromagnetic gun will replenish the staff armament of Zumwalt class destroyers, carried out using stealth technology. However, the destroyers construction program failed due to their high cost and insufficient combat effectiveness.

The US Navy planned to receive 32 squadron destroyers Zumwalt, but now only two ships are in the fleet, two more are being completed at American shipyards.

“There is every reason to believe that Zumwalt will not become a carrier of the railgun, although this ship was created specifically for this task. The Americans turned its mass production, because the power of this incredibly expensive destroyer was not able to meet the needs of the electromagnetic gun, ”Knutov said.

According to the interlocutor, in the foreseeable future the railgun will not be installed on warships of the US Navy. According to Knutov, the destroyers Arleigh Burke and Ticonderoga cruisers that are part of the US Navy are not adapted for the use of this electromagnetic weapon.

• Zumwalt class destroyer Michael Monsoor
• © US Navy

The only exception could be the lead American aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class, equipped with a nuclear power plant. However, as the expert notes, the ship is experiencing serious technical problems and needs some work, which will last for several years.

“In my opinion, Richardson’s concern is caused by the fact that a project launched in the interests of the US Navy, on which half a billion dollars was spent, does not bring a concrete practical result to the fleet. In my opinion, the most realistic option for the United States would be to use a railgun in space as part of the updated missile defense program, ”Knutov said.

However, according to the expert, BAE Systems will have to solve problems with the generation and accumulation of electrical energy, as well as accuracy of shooting. In particular, British and American engineers must develop compact power plants, more powerful capacitors, new projectiles, and a control system.

According to Knutov, today the railguns are firing unguided projectiles, the accuracy of which may be low. For this reason, sooner or later, American scientists will have to create guided ammunition.

“This will entail a new set of problems - a significant increase in the cost of production and the need to develop electronics that would not burn at hypersonic speeds. With high probability, we can assume that in the coming years, the railgun will not go into service with the United States, ”the expert predicts.

Drozdenko holds a similar point of view. The interlocutor stated that today a suitable projectile was not created for the electromagnetic gun. As the analyst explained, refractory tungsten ammunition is used for firing. This type of supply has a high cost, and the process of its production remains too complicated.

“In my opinion, the information voiced by Richardson suggests that the United States does not have suitable materials for setting up mass production of the railgun, various units and projectiles to it. The American electromagnetic gun is still a raw design. It makes no sense to adopt such a weapon if its operation requires huge financial expenses, ”Drozdenko concluded.